Making homemade jam is within everyone's reach. Those of you who have already made it know it well, and those of you who haven't tried it, I certainly encourage you to do so, because there is no jam more delicious than the one you make yourself with the fruit you like the most! You will be surprised how easy it is to do it.

Rosa, author of Pemberley Cup&Cakes , has got them all right with this recipe that we invite you to try today: an easy and delicious almond cake, which combines perfectly with homemade apricot jam.

The first time I saw the De Buyer copper saucepan I knew that a beautiful story awaited us together. And I was not wrong: as soon as I held it in my hands, I could see that it was an exceptional piece, not only because of the unquestionable quality of its materials and the impeccable manufacturing, but also because of its aesthetics, with lines that are as successful as they are exquisite. .

And it is that its outer copper coating guarantees fast and uniform cooking, ensuring exceptional heat transmission, while the stainless steel inside makes it easy to clean and maintain. Come on, a paragon of virtues to which it is practically impossible not to succumb.

So I had to release it giving it a use according to what he was going to give us in return. And that's how this apricot and vanilla jam was born. Summer fruit is simply spectacular, but like all good things, it doesn't last long; the time for apricots is beginning to come to an end, but I was reluctant to lose sight of them just like that. And what better way than to turn them into a really special jam and thus be able to enjoy them during the rest of the seasons?

As an excuse to enjoy it right now, I thought it would be nice to also prepare this almond cake. It is a classic —always infallible—, a quarter with a subtle touch of almond, which, in my opinion, does nothing more than turn a delicacy into a true delicacy. And since I couldn't decide, I ended up combining jam and sponge cake in two different ways, both very simple. The first, the simplest, has been to cover it directly with the jam and that's it. The second one, with only one more step than the previous one, has resulted in a more than simple 'naked cake', for which it is only necessary to open the cake in half crosswise with a lyre or a very long serrated knife, fill with a generous layer of jam and cover everything with a little sprinkled icing sugar. Don't forget some fresh fruit to decorate; it never fails.

INGREDIENTS (for 8-10 servings)

(All ingredients must be at room temperature, unless otherwise indicated)

For the almond cake:

• 150g unsalted butter
• 150g white sugar
• 3 eggs (L)
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 150g plain wheat flour
• 35g almonds, finely ground
• 8 g (1½ teaspoons) chemical yeast
• ¼ teaspoon salt

For the apricot and vanilla jam:

• 500 g of apricots
• 375g white sugar
• 1 good quality vanilla pod
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice

ELABORATION

Preparation of the almond cake:
1. Preheat the (electric) oven to 180ºC and place the oven rack in the center position.
2. Grease, line with baking paper and re-grease the inside of a 20 cm Ø non-stick round mold with removable base , like this one from Le Creuset. We booked.
3. In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the ground almonds and mix with a few rods until everything is well combined.
4. In a separate large bowl, beat the butter and sugar vigorously until fluffy and smooth and visibly paler (about 4-5 minutes).
5. Next, we add the eggs, one at a time and lightly beaten beforehand, while we now mix more gently. We will not add the next one until the previous one has not been completely integrated.
6. Add the vanilla extract and mix until integrated.
7. Next, we incorporate the dry ingredients that we had reserved (point 3) in two batches, mixing gently after each addition just enough to integrate everything.
8. Pour the mixture into the mold and smooth the surface evenly with a small spatula.
9. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until when inserting a skewer in the center it comes out of crumbs; if not, we check every couple of minutes until it finally does.
10. Once our cake is baked correctly, we take it out of the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a cooling rack. After this time, unmold and let it cool completely on the rack. Store well covered at room temperature for 3-4 days in a cool, dry place.


Preparation of the apricot and vanilla jam:

To make the jam on the fire:

1. Wash the apricots, pit them and cut them into quarters. Next, we place them together with the lemon juice in a saucepan with sufficient capacity to ensure uniform heat diffusion (the De Buyer copper one has far exceeded expectations), and we put it on medium-high heat. so that the fruit softens and begins to release its juices, stirring from time to time with a wooden spoon.
2. Next, add the sugar and the vanilla pod, split in half lengthwise, and bring it all to a boil, stirring frequently with the wooden spoon. Once it boils, reduce to medium-low heat and continue cooking for at least 15-20 more minutes, stirring often (skimming is not necessary). The mixture will acquire a thicker consistency as the water evaporates. We can slightly lengthen this time if we see that there is still too much liquid left, bearing in mind that when it cools it will thicken even more.

Buyer's Copper Saucepan

3. Once our jam is ready, remove the vanilla pod and let it cool before using (or store in glass jars until use)*.

ATTENTION: When we cook with sugar at such a high temperature, we must be extremely careful because it could cause burns. So we will always use the necessary equipment: kitchen mittens, apron, long-handled utensils, etc.

To make the jam in the bread machine :

If you have a bread machine, making jam is as easy as inserting the ingredients (chopped apricots, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla pod) and activating "Program 14": this is the special program for jam available in the Moulinex bread machine .

The bread maker provides the necessary heat and stirs, so without doing anything you will have the jam ready at the end of the program, after about 40 minutes.

Preparation of the cake:

As I mentioned in the introduction, today I propose two alternatives when it comes to finishing the cake:

- One option is to cut the cake in half crosswise with a lyre or a very long serrated knife, and fill with a generous layer of jam to obtain a naked cake-type stuffed cake, which always ends up being a sure win.

- The other option has no more complications than covering the cake directly with the jam: easy, fast and equally delicious!

GRADES

- If you want a finer jam, once made, you can crush it with the blender and/or pass it through a Chinese sieve or masher to remove the skin from the fruit. I have left it as is.
- You see that it is very easy to make your own homemade jam and give it the personal touch that you like the most; instead of vanilla, you can choose to add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, for example.
- Now that you're wearing, it may seem like a good idea to make a little more jam to have reserves for winter. So feel free to double the quantities and make leftovers for breakfast toast, desserts, etc. I have made a little more than this cake requires, because at home we love to have reserves of homemade jam whenever possible, but the amount that is left over will depend on how much you use and how you use it in the end.
- *In case you make extra jam for other uses, it will be good for you to know that the best way to preserve your homemade jam is to vacuum pack it in sterilized glass jars. While the fruit is cooking, we can sterilize them (as well as their lids) by placing them in a saucepan of boiling water for about 30-40 minutes. To prevent them from breaking, we will place a small towel or a kitchen cloth between them in the water so that they do not collide with each other and break. Vacuum packing is very simple: once the jars are filled with the jam that is still hot, we close them well and let them cool completely upside down (you can also put them in a water bath, tightly closed and with water up to the neck of the jar for about 30 minutes). more minutes). Once opened, keep the jam refrigerated.

Happy week!
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